It's official :-)
 

I finally got my Div 3 NHRA # for Stock Eliminator today! It's 3119.
Now, i have a pretty long list of things to do, and a little chunk of cash to spend, before it will even matter! hehe... Hope to see you guys at one or two divisionals this season. My goal is to be ready for APril Indy meet...not sure if i will make it , or not. Im gonna give it my best. Hopefully, i will be .5 under, by the end of the season, with a few round wins under my belt. Happy New Year!

Re: It's official :-)
 

Welcome To Stock Elim.

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Welcome to this new found madness, have fun and enjoy your self. See you at the Indy pts meet. J Gower stock 3058

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Welcome to the asylum. The medications are expensive. But the day room is fun.

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Thanks Guys...i must be crazy, huh? Its something ive always wanted to do. Grew up watching the Pontiacs of Truman Fields, Roy and Mike Mckinney, Ken Shawver, Gary Woods, etc... I have a pretty good working car, now i want to see what i can do with 400cubes. Im not lookin to set the world on fire, but im gonna do what i can, on my budget, and have fun with it.

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I think the car you've chosen is a good choice as well with currently favorable HP factors. Add to the fact that 400 Pontiacs are very good engines. Good luck and hope to see you in the spring. And don't worry about running way under...it took me five years bracket racing just to get my car to run the index back in the late '80's - early '90's.

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Thanks Jim... Im not really worried about how far under i run, at this point. My goal is to get the car working, round to round, the way it does now, then i can start to tinker with it. Right now, its a pretty consistent high 10second bracket car, with Stocker tendancies... Running the same Qjet that ive had on the car, since the early '90s, and spent some time refining the chassis and driveline. Im really excited about this deal. My engine machinist has built several record holding Buicks and Pontiacs, over the years(Bill SMith Motorsports, Muncie Indiana), so im confident that the shortblock is a good one. I think the heads will be pretty good too. Im goin a little conservative on the cam, on the 1st go around. Its gonna be a blast. This 400 is the original block, heads, crank and intake to the car... pretty cool stuff. I have more 400s, but i thought it fitting to build the original one. Got quite a few things to do, to get ready for Indy in APril , but im gonna try!

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Brent ,

You will just love it & I agree with Jim on the combo ... One step at a time & make sure you have Fun along the way.. Forget all the complaining
you see & hear at times , racers are a close knit group ... I think you are smart to start with a smaller cam, most have way Too big of a cam... Save your pennys & enjoy the Fun & Friends ... There's always plenty of Pontiac help on here & Pontiac Years ... You will do just fine ... LOL,

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Congrats! I just sent my form out...can't wait to get mine!

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Nothing cooler than a Pontiac Stocker!

I may just ditch my old Wagon Superstocker and build my 68 GTO for Stock.

Good luck with yours!

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THanks Guys... My # 1 goal is fun... i think i have some decent stuff to get started, so it should run pretty good... It'll be interesting, to say the least! This is something i always wanted to do, with my Dad... we never got around to it...so im doin this in tribute to Dad and Roy Mckinney...2 of my biggest racing heroes... Ive met alot of great dudes, since i decided to start this process... I know this can be an expensive game, but, im in it to learn, and hope my decent driving skills can win me a round or 2. I know we can race anything, but there's just something about Stockers/SuperStockers that sets them apart from just any old bracket car. Dont get me wrong, we've ran alot of brackets over the years, i just wanted to try something different, to see if i can get into the mix. Im lucky that im not just starting out, with a new car...that will help alot.
And, much to my surprise, you Classracers are alot more willing to help , than i thought you would be. That makes it that much better. Besides, nothing better than hangin out with friends, at a racetrack , no less. Dont know how many meets that i will make this year, but, if all goes decent, you can bet that i will step it up a bit in 2015! Gotta keep Class racing alive!

Re: It's official :-)
 

Congrats on making it "official" Brent. Don't hurt it before May,, so you can make it to Columbus for Mr. Beard's big party. I want to see your Firebird,, take care.
Danny Durham

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Looking forward to meeting up with you Brent. Thanks for choosing class racing; with a Pontiac no less! Bob Michael.

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Danny, i wont hurt it, i hope! hehe... I hope that i can make the Columbus event...that would be great!

Bob, Thanks! Ive wanted to build a class car, since i was a kid. I remember seeing your Firebird at Edgewater, in the late '70s... There were several good running Pontiacs, in those days. My Dad was a diehard Pontiac guy, so i had no choice! :) I wish he coulda been here to see me finally reach the 1st part of my goal(gettin the engine done)... Looking forward to meeting you too, Bob, and the rest of the Div 3 guys. Now, if it just warm up a bit!
Bob, if you still want those heads, let me know... i have 2 sets. :D

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Congratulations! "Pontiac Punch" :D

Are you going to run a 3.73 or 4.11 rear gear?

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Glenn, im goin right to a 4.56.. that little 3.750 stroke would be idling at the traps, with 4.10s...hehe THanks! I cant wait to get it running!

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Congratulations, Brent! Best of luck this season. Awesome first name, too. :D

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Brent,
There's a guy from Minnesota that ran/runs a Tempest in E or F /SA.... I spoke with him a few years back while I was working at the NHRA St. Louis Drags, he told me that he was running a 3.73 and it was the quickest the car had ever ran and MPH. They had started with 4.56, then 4.33, then 4.11 then 3.90 ...... a close friend of mine knows him well.
Food for thought! I'm rooting for ya!

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Thanks Brent! :D

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He is running a 455, though... I have 4.10s in it now, with 455, and it runs 10.80s/122 at 5800 rpms... I will need 4.33 gears atleast...i have 4.33/4.56/4.88 for it.. 4.88s might be a little steep, for my needs, but, i have them, if i dont hit about 6500-6600 with the 4.56s. On the other hand, a friend of mine, with Buick 350 stocker, only running 4.33's i think...4.56s didnt pick it up, but that could have something to do with the intake manifold, on those engines...not as good as a factory Pontiac, In my opinion...I definitely wont rule out less gear, though...

Re: It's official :-)
 

I ran a L/SA Buick Skylark 350 back in the late '70's with a 4.10 gear.

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I may be underestimating my engine, and have thought about trying the 4.10s before i change them to 4.56... I just dont think they will get the car 60fts quick enough... Guys in my class are goin 1.39-1.42, depending on weather... Of course, the engine has to make it to the 1000ft mark, before nosing over...hehe

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A 4.10 is going to be pretty light for a 3500 pound car with a Dport 400. Maybe a 4.33 with a short radial might be ok. If you run your Bias tires start with the 56's.

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Yeah, i pretty much gonna start with bias plys, so i figured the 56s would be the best way to go... Doubt that i will have radials in April... luckily i have ratios to choose from... i figure this engine will need to see around 6500 at traps, to get any kind of ET out of it...

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Brent,

I have to agree with Todd , you don't want to leave anything on the table.

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First off, Congrats on making it official! I also made it official last year when I got my number its a pretty cool thing to make a dream come true. I'm hoping to be out sometime this year as well.

I'm just curious (as I know nothing about Pontiac's) with you guys talking gear ratio's and all with a 3.75 stroke engine and hoping for a 6500 trap RPM's that just sounds kind of low to me. I'm guessing there is a big restriction on the induction side to not let it RPM any more than that?

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Thanks Kris! The big restriction is on my wallet...hehe... I'd say that the engine will only do what the cam/springs/valvetrain will allow. Im starting off pretty conservative, and i doubt my stuff will want to go any higher... My deal will probably like 6000-6200 shifts(maybe) and string it out a little higher, through the traps. Pontiacs arent usally real high winders, like a 350 chev would be...parts are somewhat heavier, too. Pontiac heads seem to fall off earlier than a sbc, but you can fool it , with enough duration , valvespring pressure, and plenty of gear and converter. But, it doesnt always work...hehe

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Im sure I'll be leaving plenty on the table, for awhile...hehe
Main concern, is gettin this thing to 60ft best i can, without being completely out of breath at 1000ft...alot different than now... i 60ft pretty good, and still pulling at 1320ft...under 6k, no less...:rolleyes:

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I would say definitely 4.56's if you run it in F...as long as your lifters and springs are up for it.

Do you have a low gear set in the trans now?

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Mark, i will be running a 2.75 low Hipster 400( i know , i know , hehe) to get me goin , for awhile, my current transmission is standard low gear... and i have 2 Ati 8'' converters, one of which will be restalled, as they are flashing about 4200, behind 455 engine. That is with 4.10 gears. I have to put the car on a little diet to get it down to 'E' weight...with me , the car is about 80lbs over(3540-3550 on starting line), im about 60 of it:rolleyes:. Got to get it down to 3470.
Ive considered running F, all i have to do is add about 80lbs in a weight box.
Im not running shubecks or smith machine lifters, at this time. Im running the Lunati lifter, and Comp Springs, about 140 on the seat. I will see what i have, and down the road, when i change cams, i may have a set of Shermans done up...little leary of the ceramic bottom lifters...It woudnt hurt my feelings if they outlawed them...

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Brent, you have a PM.......

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Sounds like you might wanna be in F, with 4.33 gears

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Good luck and stay away from that white one with the cute driver

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no kiddin...its a good thing that i could never make it down to "D", but she sometimes runs E...:eek:

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yeah, that may be my best bet...

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Well Commander, seeing as we're friends and all, your comment went straight to my head, my ride being the right shade of pale and secure in the knowledge that I'm the object of my wife's adoration.......then the image of RLS came to mind and BOOM went the bubble. :p

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hehe... I just assumed he was talkin about RLS...hehe